James Mason was a Leading Fireman on the Titanic.
Background[]
James Mason was a resident of Liverpool where he grew up in the 1870s. Many further elements of his background are up for research. He had a wife at some point but was marked as a widowed in 1912, as he was sailing under the flag of the White Star Line in 1912, having former experience as he did labor on the Oceanic before signing on to the Maiden Voyage of a brand new liner, which was hugely impressive in size and luxury.
Titanic []
With his unknown family designated to be inhabitants of Blackburn, Lancashire in Britain, James was on an address in Southampton to await his next seafare. This would be the RMS Titanic, which was just delivered in Southampton on the 4th of April. James was contracted as one of thirteen Leading Firemen. He was close to his fourties' or just about 40 years old. James also had another men boarding with him, who later would work under him: Henry Allen, also a Sotonion by birth.
After the boarding process was over, Titanic was pulled and pushed from her pier by tugboats, to get herself ready for her Atlantic crossing. On top of the standard payment of £6 a month for a normal Fireman, a leading figure would get 10 shillings extra. Each Leading Fireman had a designated Boiler Room to oversee. They would give commands to Firemen, Greasers and Trimmers while keeping an eye on the steam pressure.
Nothing seemed to be pointing at an upcoming catastrophe, or perhaps that near-collision in the harbor was the omen that some people needed, yet everything went swimmingly for Titanic since then, in the next few days, with perfectly smooth ocean in front of her, but the silent sea had much in store for the mighty liner, which was seemingly daring as her builders and owners had more than enough fate in her, that she could live through anything. The next thing that happened, proved them wrong.
Trying to get a little bit faster, Titanic’s boilers had been further lit up, which mean that the stokers would have to work hard. James must have spurred his man on, while Titanic developed ever more speed on the night of April 14. The crew had not foreseen that this speed, could ultimately end up to be her downfall. At 11:39, the sea was still calm and the skies clear, but it was hard to make out an iceberg into the distance, which was a very short distance at that moment, when the lookouts knew they had trouble right in front of them. Three strikes on the bell could be heard as the lookout that first saw the iceberg, picked up the phone and got a response.
Officer of the Watch, First Officer Murdoch, knew what he had to do and tried to steer Titanic out of harm’s way but it was fruitless. A quick sign on the telegraph to the Engineers that they had to had to make Titanic stop, couldn’t save her from a shunt either. Although she didn’t plow straight into the mass, she scuffed againt it on starboard side. It seemed gently but there was a judder. Titanic’s rivets had coal slugs in them and popnails were abraded or even shoved out of the framwork, so water started gushing through several shallow gaps that appeared. The steel carcas was affected on too many places and Titanic was absorbing water very fast.
At the clock striking 12:00 A.M, April 15, the ship’s master had seen enough of the breached hull and so did Titanic’s creator. Thomas Andrews, as he was called, saw no way out. Titanic was now written off as unsalvagable. They had over 2 hours to get at least some people to safety in lifeboats. This is what the Captain did, he mustered his deck crew to prepare for launch.
There’s much desired to be told about James Mason, but it’s information that is lacking for now. What he did in this fateful night is yet to be found out. What we can say is that, like many others, the man had ill luck and he imaginably hadn’t gotten off the ship in a lifeboat and lost his life in either the cold waters or was deep down in the ship as she was swallowed by the sea at 2:20 A.M.
With Mason were 1502 other deceased. Many also had no body to be verified, James included.